Digimon Story Cyber Slueth Two Sides of One Story
by The Hooded Writer
Summary: The catastrophe has concluded. Keisuke Amasawa returns to having a normal life. But he is still suffering in silence as the only one to remember what happened...Or so he thought. Turns out he is not the only one. (Images form Digimon Wiki)


**So I was playing Digimon Cyber Slueth Complete Eddition and felt like writing somthing about it before my next big project. For those of you who don't know, once I finish Fates of S.T.E.A.M. my next story will be a Cyber Slueth Pokemon Ranger crossover. And speaking of that I want to explain right now that this story is in no way connected to that upcoming story. None of this will have happened to the characters once I write about that story.**

**As always I do not own these characters or anything, just the fanfic and spoilers to Digimon Story Cyber Slueth and Hacker's Memory lie ahead, so be warned. **

* * *

Just another day for Keisuke Amasawa. Another day in Hudie. He gathered with his fellow members, Ryuji Mishima, Chitose Imai and Yu Nogi.

Ever since their world changed Erika was no longer with them and only, he remembered her. The pain in his heart was something only he could hold and could never share or express to anyone. And he accepted that to be his fate forever. But there was no time to linger in the past. There was a new job at hand. The four gathered at a table in their café.

"So, who called us in for an odd job today?" Yu asked.

"I suppose it can be deemed "odd." Ryuji admitted. "Usually one's used to giving cases to a detective agency. Not the other way around."

"A detective agency?" Chitose asked.

"The Kuremi Detective Agency. Any of you heard of it?"

"Sort of." Keisuke said, thinking back on one time he was actually there. But he didn't know if that event was also erased from existence.

"Sort of?" Chitose asked. "What does that mean?"

"I uh, passed by it a few times at Nakano Broadway."

"I see." Ryuji nodded.

"I heard rumors about them." Yu said. "People are calling them the Cyber Sleuths."

"That's right. The lady who runs the place, Kyoko Kuremi, was working on a case involving a hacking scam going on in EDEN. She and her assistants got some pretty good leads. In fact, she seems confident that they almost have the whole thing wrapped up."

"So, what does she need us for?" Keisuke asked.

"It looks like both of her assistants caught a pretty bad cold. She doesn't want them working in their condition and told them to stay home and rest."

"I get the picture. So, she wants us to help in their place." Chitose said.

"That's right."

"I'm surprised she would ask for us instead of another detective or cop." Keisuke said.

"She said we were recommended to her." Ryuji replied.

"By who?"

"She didn't say, but I have a good guess. Matayoshi seems to know her personally."

Yu sighed. "Of course, the old guy loves to pass work onto us."

"We should be grateful. It's work like this that keeps the place running. Besides, we owe the man a lot."

"Relax, I was kidding. Working as a substitute Cyber Slueth sounds like a fun change of pace."

"Yeah and I hear that the Cyber Slueths are getting famous for the cases they solved!" Chitose added. "I bet if we pull this off it'll do wonders for Hudie's rep!"

"Then keep that in mind and try not to make us look bad by flirting with the client." Ryuji said.

"No promises."

The other three boys sighed in exasperation.

* * *

Back in the apartment they shared with their mother, Takumi Aiba and Ami Aiba were home alone. Their mother was working abroad again. Ami laid in her bed, wearing yellow pajamas. No matter how hard she tried to fall asleep, her coughing and aching head made it near impossible to do.

"Of all the times for this to happen too…"

She heard a bang and shot up out of bed. Worrying what it was she climbed out and slipped her feet into her slippers she kept nearby. She opened the door to her room and looked around.

"Sorry. Dropped a pan."

She looked towards their small kitchen where her brother Takumi, who was still in grey pajamas and socks was struggling to lift a fairly big pan back up onto the counter even though he was as sick as she was. "Takumi? What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? Making lunch."

"In your condition?" Ami asked before sneezing.

"One of us- Takumi interrupted himself with a cough. "One of us has to. Starving yourself while sick only makes you feel worse."

Ami was about to offer to help when they heard a knock at the door. "I'll get it." She weakly hobbled to the door wondering who it would be. It was rare for them to get visitors. She unlocked the door and pulled it open.

"SURPRISE!"

Ami yelped and fell over while Takumi who heard the shout dropped his pan again.

"Oops. Heh, heh. Sorry."

Ami looked up and saw a good friend of the twins. "Nokia?" And there was someone else next to her. "Arata!"

Yuuko and Yuugo poked their heads out from behind the two. "We're here too." The brother said.

As soon as Takumi got the pan off the floor he hurried the best he could over. "Guys? What are you doing here?"

"We heard from Kyoko that you two were feeling under the weather." Arata said. "Since your mom's not here to take care of you and you two aren't in any condition to take care of each other we figured that task should fall to us."

Nokia let herself in and the others followed. Arata helped Ami off the floor. "Guys, it's just a little cold." Takumi said. "We can take care of ourselves."

Nokia scowled and brushed Takumi's hair upward and felt his forehead, catching him off guard. "Yow! You call this little?! You're burring up so hot I can cook an egg on your forehead! And your voice is so raspy I thought you were someone else!"

Arata felt Ami's forehead, making her blush. "Okay, you win the exaggeration of the year award. But that is a bad fever you two got."

"My point! Now you two listen to Nurse Akkino and lie down!"

Yuuko noticed the pan Takumi had out. "Looks like you were about to start cooking. Guess we came right on time."

Takumi then noticed the large full bags Yuugo and Yuuko brought in. "What's with the bags?"

"I figured you wouldn't be able to cook well while sick. So, we brought lunch for everyone. I'm not much of a cook but my brother and I have been practicing."

"Gee…thanks!"

"Uh, but you brought enough food to feed twenty people." Nokia said. "Besides, aren't you supposed to starve a cold and feed a fever?"

Yuuko gave her an odd look. "What? Why would you do that? Nothing is worse then going hungry."

"Guys, I appreciate this…" Ami said. "But what if you catch what we have while taking care of us?"

"Relax, we'll be carful." Arata replied. "Just try not to cough or sneeze on us."

"And if we do get sick it'll be your turn to take care of us!" Nokia said. "I'd be willing to call it even. But enough of that, you two should lie down! Nurse's orders!"

Yuugo and Yuuko walked towards the kitchen. "We'll start cooking. Can you two get Takumi and Ami to the couches over there?" Yuugo asked.

"Sure!" Nokia put an arm around Ami and helped her walk. Arata did the same for Takumi.

* * *

Keisuke and the team went inside the agency. The bell rang as they came in.

"Ah there you are." Kyoko sat at her desk with some papers.

"I've never been inside a detective agency before." Yu said looking around. "It's kinda cool to think about."

"Sorry if we're a bit late." Ryuji said as he approached.

"No need, you're right on time. I was just going over some files. You must be Hudie."

"Yes. My name's Ryuji Mishima. This is Keisuke Amasawa, Chitose, Imai and Yu Nogi."

"Charmed. I can sense something interesting within you."

"So, you need help with a case your assistants were working on?"

"My, my. Straight to the point."

"You'll have to excuse him." Chitose said. "He's always in a hurry."

"Heh. Noted. Alright. Here's the situation. Recently there's been a scam going around where hackers are hording Digi Medals."

"How does it work?" Yu asked.

"From what we gathered it seems like they invite people to trade Digi Medals. But they give out fake medals in returned that are marked with a program that allows them to hack into their accounts."

"So not only are they ripping off medals but they're raiding other people's accounts." Ryuji said. "Sneaky."

"So, what do you need us to do?" Keisuke asked.

"I took some tainted medals from the victims and rewrote the program a little. I want you to take up new EDEN accounts and act as decoys to trade it with the scammers. If you use empty accounts, then there won't be any danger if they get hacked. And once they get the fake medal the program will overwrite any protection on their accounts, and it will trace their location in the real world."

"I see. The old Trojan Horse trick." Chitose smirked.

"Right. Once we have their locations we'll send them to the police."

"Okay. Easy enough." Keisuke said.

"So, we're basically undercover cops. Cool!" Yu smiled. "This just gets better and better!"

Ryuji squinted at him. "Stay focused, this isn't a game."

"Sheesh, lighten up. At this rate, your moody demeanor will give us away!"

"If you're optimism doesn't."

* * *

There were two couches near a table in front of a TV. After Arata and Nokia set Takumi and Ami down, so they were lying on the furniture Nokia went to the closet and got blankets and pillows for them. "There we go, nice and warm! You two comfy?"

"Yeah, thanks Nurse Akkino." Takumi smiled faintly.

"Good. Now stay put." Nokia smiled before hurrying to the TV.

Arata went straight to the stove and filled a kettle. "I'm going to put the kettle on for tea, that should help your throats. Where do you two keep the tea bags?"

"Yuuko and I brought plenty with us." Yuugo said. "We got some medicine for them as well."

"Heh. You two sure planned ahead. Hey, do you have any honey to mix in it? That's great for when you're sick."

Yuuko gasped. "Oh, no! I knew we forgot something!"

"I think we have some in the cupboard." Ami said.

Arata opened the first cupboard he saw. "Is this it?"

"No, that's where we keep the co-

Arata took one look, screamed, and slammed the door shut.

"Arata? What's wrong?" Yuugo asked.

"Do NOT look in there! I feel like I just opened Pandora's Box."

"What does that mean?" Yuuko asked. "What's in there?"

"The coffee. And everything they mix into it."

Yuuko, Yuugo and Nokia shuddered. Ever since they reunited with Takumi and Ami, they knew they picked up Kyoko-or rather Alphamon's taste in coffee "Personally, I think it's their crazy coffee that got them sick in the first place." Nokia muttered.

"Huh? Did you say something, Nokia?" Takumi asked.

"Uh, sure! I said who's up for a movie!"

"Huh? Shouldn't they be resting Nokia?" Yuuko asked.

"Oh, come on! These two have just been lying in bed all day! They must be board out of their minds! You know that's the worst part of this. Being sick on a weekend. I mean if it was a weekday at least they could miss school."

"True, but if it was a school day, we wouldn't be able to visit them." Yuugo said with a warm smile.

"Good point! You sure can find the silver lining in any situation, Yuugo."

"Frankly I can't think of a better way to spend my free time then with my friends." Takumi smiled. "I just wish it was under better circumstances."

Ami giggled. "Yeah. When you think of all the lost time we need to make up for…And to be honest I wasn't having much luck falling asleep anyway with this stupid cough."

By the time Arata found the honey, the water finished boiling. Yuuko and Yuugo had some ramen ready to start with as well as the medicine. By the time Nokia chose a movie to watch and set it in the TV, the food and tea to share with the group was brought over to the table and Takumi and Ami sat up so everyone had room to sit down on the sofas while the twins keep their blankets wrapped around themselves.

"Still, I can't stop thinking about that scam." Takumi said before blowing on his hot tea.

"Eh, don't worry about the case." Arata said. "Kyoko's got people covering for you. They're an odd bunch but they're reliable."

"Huh? Who?"

* * *

A couple hours later and the report was handed to Kyoko. "We confirmed all of their identities and locations." Ryuji said.

"Well done. It doesn't look like they suspect a thing. We'll just need to notify the police and-

"Already taken care of. We called Detective Matayoshi. He said to let him handle the arrests."

"Oh? You know the old man?"

"Yeah. Ryuji and I owe him big time." Chitose said. "So, wait, he wasn't the one who recommended us to you?"

"No. That was one of my assistant's friends. He's a smart kid. A bit of an oddball but he's always happy to step in and help. In fact, he helped me rewrite the program those scammers were using."

"A kid? Huh. That was impressive programing for a kid."

"Interesting." Ryuji said. "What's his name?"

"Arata Sanada. Have you heard of him?"

Keisuke did his best to hide his surprise. Everyone went silent.

Ryuji put a hand on his chin. "Arata...Sanada…"

Yu looked at him. "You know this guy?"

"I don't recall...yet that name feels strangely familiar."

"Really? Weird. I was actually thinking the same thing." Chitose said.

"I can't say I've heard of him before." Yu shrugged. "What about you, Keisuke?"

"Huh? Uh, nope, never heard of him before. You two must be imagining things."

"I guess." Ryuji replied.

Kyoko's expression didn't change. "Hmm. In any case you've all done well. Thanks for all your help. I just need to inform my assistants, so they don't worry. They really wanted to catch these guys red handed."

"We can take care of that. Hudie always sees their jobs through to the end. Besides, it would be more reassuring if they heard it directly from the people who took the case."

"Oh? How generous of you. Very well. I'll give you their address."

* * *

Yuuko got up from the sofa. "Are you sure none of you want another helping?"

"Oof. No thanks." Ami said. "The food you and Yuugo made is great, but one more bite and I might explode." She took another small sip of tea. "Ah! I feel so much better after that warm food, the medicine, and the tea."

"Yeah, your voice sounds better already." Arata pointed out.

"Thanks for doing this guys." Takumi said as Yuuko went to get her ninth serving. "Sorry for troubling all of you."

"Don't worry. You didn't ask us to or anything." Arata smirked. "We made the choice on our own."

"Besides, you were all helping me while I was recovering." Yuugo added. "It's only fair we do the same when you two are in need."

"You always have us worried." Yuuko said as she returned to her seat with a full bowl. "We didn't want you two getting careless and neglecting your health. Of course we came to check on you. We're your friends."

"Yeah, I mean let's face it." Nokia smirked. "You two are always looking our for us and the people around you. But you both suck at taking care of yourselves with all the crazy stuff you do!" Everyone laughed. Even the twins had to chuckle faintly.

"Heh. Even when people make fun of you the two of you just smile." Yuugo said. "Eight years latter you two still haven't changed."

"Heh, heh! People at school always called Takumi the smiley boy as a kid!" Ami snickered.

"AMI!" Takumi's face went red as he heard his friends laugh at that childhood nickname he was unfortunately pinned with. "Well I always found that ironic considering I'm not the one who's insanely ticklish between the two of us!"

"Hey! Don't tell them that!"

Nokia glanced at Ami. "Oh? Ami's ticklish?"

Ami got nervous at the mischievous smirk she got from her friend. "Don't you dare. Stay away!"

All it took was a brush of Nokia's fingers at her side to make her shriek. "Oh, wow, you really are ticklish!"

"Heh, heh, heh! No! Eeeek! Stohahahap!" Ami was curled up on the couch as the blanket was pulled off her and her belly and ribs were brushed by Nokia's fingers. "T-Takumiiiii! Help mehehehehe!"

"Sorry, I can't. Too sick." the brother smugly replied before faking a cough.

"You jerheheherk! Ah, ha, ha! S-someone…help…" Ami begged amidst her laughing frenzy.

"I'll help." Arata said standing up.

"Aww!" Nokia grumbled. "You, buzzkill!"

Ami was about to thank Arata when he gripped her wrists from behind the sofa and lifted them over her head. "Hey! What are you- She looked up at his impish grin.

"Hey, I didn't say I'd help you. Nokia, as you were."

"Okay! Aww! Who's a wittle ticklish?" Nokia grinned with a teasing tone as her fingers went right back to Ami's sensitive sides.

"No, let me gohohohohohoh! Ah, ha, ha ha, ha!"

"Wow!" Arata grinned. "One of the famus Cyber Sleuths rendered helpless by something so childish! How the mighty have fallen!"

Yuugo, Yuuko and Takumi giggled at Ami's misfortune before they heard a knock on the door. Something Ami was grateful for as it caused Arata and Nokia to stop tormenting her so she could go limp on the sofa and breath heavily with a smile still stuck on her face and small tears in her eyes. Arata felt a little bad and put the blanket back over her.

"Who's that?" Takumi asked. "You guys didn't call anyone else over, did you?"

"No." Yuuko replied. "Who could it be?"

Yuugo paused the movie and got up. "I'll get it."

* * *

As they ventured through the condos Ryuji lead his team, holding the paper Kyoko gave them.

"I'm surprised you didn't hit on Kyoko left right and sideways." Yu said.

"Eh, she was a looker but not quite my type." Chitose shrugged. "I like girls that are a bit more… you know. Feminine."

"You never change." Keisuke muttered.

Ryuji stopped in front of a door and checked the number on it. "This is it."

"Wait, do you hear laughing?" Yu asked.

The team went quiet for a moment. "Hey, you're right." Keisuke said. "Are they throwing a party or something in there? I thought they were supposed to be sick. What's going on?"

"Beats me." Ryuji replied before knocking on the door.

The laughter they heard died out and after a moment the door opened and Yuugo greeted them. "Hello?"

"Hey, are you Takumi Aiba?"

"No, I'm just a friend of his. A bunch of us came over to look after him and his sister."

Keisuke recognized him. He looked just like the Yuugo he knew from Zaxion but with black hair. _"It's the guy who helped me and Erika save Chitose…"_

Yuugo glanced at Keisuke. _"Isn't that…?"_

"We finished a case Kyoko was working on with her assistants and want to report to them." Ryuji explained.

"Ah, yes, Arata told us about you. Hudie, right?"

"That's right. May we come in?"

Yuugo looked behind him. "I'd really prefer not to trouble them while they're sick."

Takumi looked in the boy's direction. He didn't hear Ryuji's voice, but he could make out what this was about from hearing Yuugo. "It's okay Yuugo. We need to hear about this."

Yuugo fully opened the door and allowed the team into the apartment. Chitose walked over to the couches where the twins were. "Are you Takumi and Ami Aiba?"

"Yes."

Keisuke was glancing at Arata, Nokia and Yuuko. It was hard not to talk to them, but he didn't feel they'd remember him. "So, you're the famous Cyber Sleuths huh?" Chitose asked. "You're a lot younger than I expected."

"Yikes, just looking at the bags under your eyes tells me how sick you two are." Yu said before glancing at Ami who was half curled on the couch trying to regain her breath. "And you look like you got it way worse! No way you could have taken the case in your condition."

"Hey, come on Yu, don't be rude."

"You're the one who called them kids."

Keisuke and Ryuji walked into the living area and saw the two on the sofas. Takumi's eyes widened. "You're…!"

Keisuke looked at Takumi and Ami in shock and saw the surprised look in their eyes. "Ah!"

"Hmm? Is something wrong?" Ryuji asked.

Takumi was silent for a moment. He Ami nor Keisuke knew what to say at first. "N-no. It's nothing." The boy sleuth replied.

"Alright…Anyway I'm Ryuji, the leader of Hudie. This is Keisuke, Chitose and Yu. We took the case you were working on and Kyoko asked us to report what happened to you."

Ami sat up properly. "Okay…we're listening…"

"Your boss took the program used on the fake Digi Medals and modified with the help of your friend Arata. We built new EDEN accounts for ourselves and pretended to fall for the scam to give them the tainted Digi Medals. The program bypassed their firewalls and brought up their identities and locations. We notified detective Matayoshi who is making the arrests as we speak."

"So that's it then…" Takumi said.

"Wait, you helped make that program?" Ami asked looking at Arata.

"It was no big deal."

Ryuji looked at the boy. "So, you're Arata Sanada. The one who recommended us to detective Kyoko."

"That's right. I heard a few things about Hudie. Thought you might be up for the task."

"That program of yours was well made. We could use someone with that skill in Hudie."

"Yeah. Gifted hackers your age don't grow of trees." Chitose added.

"Pfft. No thanks." Arata quickly replied. "My days as part of a hacking team are long behind me."

"You were part of a hacking team?" Yu asked.

"Well…" this situation was awkward for Arata. "Long story short, me and a couple pals of mine formed a hacker team. They made me the leader. It got pretty big until we bit off more then we could chew and screwed up. A lot of the gang lost confidence. One by one they stopped being hackers, so I broke down with the realization that I was never meant to lead and left the team before I did them any more harm. That was what broke the camels back and the whole team disbanded."

"Man, that sucks. What about these friends that helped you form it?" Chitose asked. "Are they doing alright? I bet they could be good comfort."

"One of them...never forgave me for it. I don't blame him. He said I took away the one place he belonged."

"What a load of crap."

Everyone looked at Ryuji in surprise. Arata was shocked the most. "What?"

"You did what you had to because you thought it was for the best of not just you but the team. And it's not like you were the first to leave. This idiot has some nerve to blame you for doing what you thought was for the better of your friends."

"I'll say, what a blockhead!" Chitose said with folded arms. "Why hate you, when he's just as responsible for the team as a founding member? He's just throwing a fit like a spoiled brat!"

"…Ryuji…Chitose…"

"Next time this jackass gives you hell tell him something for me." Ryuji said with a glare. "If that team meant a damn thing to him, he should have made more of an effort to keep it together himself and has no right to throw all the blame on you for not doing it for him!" Arata was taken aback. As was Keisuke. Ryuji sighed. "We're getting off topic. If you don't want anything to do with a hacking team anymore, I understand. But let us know if you change your mind."

Keisuke's mind went back to Takumi and Ami. _"They looked shocked to see me and Ryuji…could it be…?" _He quietly approached the twins. "Say, can I have your contact info in case something comes up?"

"Huh? Like what?" Takumi asked. "The case is closed."

"You never know."

"Well…okay."

After the twins exchanged contact information with Keisuke, Chitose glanced around and smiled at the twins. "You two have some good friends. I hope you know that. You catch a simple cold and they all came running to take care of you."

"I know." Ami smiled. "I couldn't ask for better friends. Even though two of them nearly tortured me to death just now." she added, glaring at Nokia and Arata who grinned at her.

Chitose raised an eyebrow. "Ooooookay?"

"Still, I'm surprised your parents aren't around for you." Ryuji said.

"Oh, well mom's working abroad as a reporter." Takumi said. "Someone has to pay the rent."

"And your father?"

Takumi and his sister sadly looked down. "Gone. While we were still young."

Everyone fell into an eerie silence. "That's…I'm sorry." Ryuji said regretfully. "I didn't mean to…"

"It's fine."

"Well...At any rate we should go." Ryuji said as Keisuke whistled to himself while typing something in his Digivice.

"Okay. Thanks for everything." Ami said.

"No problem." Keisuke replied. "Oh, and Kyoko wanted us to pass a message to you."

"What is it?" Takumi asked.

"Make sure you take proper care of yourselves. The sooner you two fully recover the sooner you can get back to work. Coffee time just isn't the same without you."

Everyone smiled. "Yup. That sounds just like her." Ami giggled.

"Get well soon." Ryuji said before they left.

"Interesting kids, those Cyber Sleuths." Chitose said as they walked. "I bet they could make for friendly rivals."

"Yeah…But I can't help but feel bad for them." Ryuji said.

"Huh? Why?"

"I leaned on my parents a lot growing up. But those two…the mother is always away, and the father is gone. They have nobody to depend on."

Yu chuckled and put his hands behind his head. "Nobody? Are you kidding me? Did you not see all the people in there looking out for them?"

Keisuke put his hands in his pockets and smiled. "Yu's right. Their parents might not be around, but they have their own kind of family looking out for them. And they have each other."

Ryuji faintly smiled. "I suppose that's true. I wonder…"

"What's up?"

"What if I didn't have my parents but a sibling like them? Would I be able to move forward? Would my sibling keep me going?"

"Huh. I guess as an only child that's something to ponder." Chitose said.

Keisuke frowned as they kept walking. Now more then ever he just wanted to talk to someone. Anyone. He took out his Digivive and read over what he wrote on Digiline.

"_Well…here goes. I mean the worst that can happen is they'll think I'm crazy."_

He hit the send button.

* * *

"Well…That was awkward." Arata said.

"And rather ironic." Yuuko added.

"Arata…that was Jude you were talking about right?" Ami asked.

"Yup. Oh, just so you two know, Chitose and Ryuji were in Jude with me before…you know."

"Really?" Takumi asked.

"That's right. They were the guys who formed it with me that I mentioned. Oh, and the guy that hated me for disbanding the team? Ryuji."

"Wait, seriously?" Takumi raised an eyebrow. "That guy just cursed himself out without knowing!"

"Heh, heh…just as Yuuko said. Ironic."

"Ryuji…So is that what he wanted to talk to you about in Under Zero before we left to the Digital world?" Ami asked.

"Ryuji talked to you before our final battle?" Yuuko asked.

Arata was about to answer when Takumi heard his Digivice go off. "A message…from Keisuke? Right after he left?" He opened his Digiline and read it. Then he went into shock.

"What is it Takumi?" Ami scooted to where her brother was on the couch and read over his shoulder. "…What?"

"What is it?" Nokia asked as the others gathered. They read the message Keisuke sent Takumi.

**"You recognize me, don't you? Ryuji, Chitose, Yu…None of them remember anything, like it never happened. But do you remember Digimon? Under Zero? The promise that we made?"**

"…What's this about?" Yuugo asked.

"Keisuke…" Takumi was lost for words at first. "Does he remember everything that happened even though the world changed?!"

"I think he does!" Ami said. "And he's calling out to us!"

"Wait, what's this promise you made?" Arata asked. "You guys met Keisuke before?"

Takumi nodded. "It was after we went with you to Under Zero to defeat Knightmon."

* * *

_Takumi and Ami stood there in the core of Under Zero with Arata. Looking at his Digimon's newest form. Diaboromon. A reward for defeating the Knightmon that destroyed Jude._

_"We did it." Takumi said. "We defeated it and avenged Jude."_

_Ami lightly brushed Arata's arm. "Hey…Are you feeling alright?"_

_Arata smiled. "You know what? I feel…at peace now."_

_"How so?" Takumi asked._

_"I've probably been a burden to you guys with the Digimon I've kept with me until now." Arata looked proudly at Diaboromon. "But now that I've got this guy…I think I can go on with you all. I want to see this thing through to the end."_

_The twins were quiet._

_"…Haha, don't make me say it. Seriously."_

_Takumi and Ami smiled at him._

_Arata groaned. "…Damnit, didn't I tell you before? Quit with the staring already! Jeez!" The three of them laughed. "I think with that, this case is closed now, so…Thanks."_

_"It's what we do." Takumi said. "Come on. We should head back."_

_Arata looked at the black diamond in the center of the room. "I'm…going to stay here a little longer and think, if that's all right with you."_

_"Oh…okay." Ami said. "Well…see you soon."_

_The two of them walked away when they saw a man approach them with a sleeveless top and sandals. He had some kind oh jacket tied around his waist. "Heh. Nice work. I saw the whole thing."_

_"Huh? Who are you?" Takumi asked._

_"Just someone passing by. To think you actually beat that thing. Damn. Finally developed the guts to come down here and get revenge. But you two and Sanada beat me to it. Still I should thank you."_

_"Wait…were you part of Jude?" Ami asked._

_"Something like that. You two friends with Sanada?"_

_"Yeah. We go way back." Takumi smiled._

_"That's good to hear. At least someone's keeping an eye on him." The man walked past them. Arata was so lost in thought he didn't even know someone was approaching him. "I'll be damned. You actually came back here before me."_

_Arata turned around in shock. "R-Ryuji?!"_

_"What's with that "oh crap" expression? Do you really think I'd come all the way down here just to yell at you again?"_

_"Kinda. But I bet you also wanted to settle things with that Digimon. Sorry but as the guy who abandoned you back then it was my task to carry out."_

_"Perhaps." Ryuji stared at the floating object. "But honestly…after what I did…all the people I turned my back on…I don't feel like holding it against you anymore."_

_"What?"_

_"Don't get the wrong idea kid. I haven't fully forgiven you either…But…I think I finally understand what it is you went through."_

_"Ryuji…"_

_"I lost myself in my own hatred. And I hurt so many people…You saw what I became. Go ahead. Have your laugh. God knows that if I still can't forgive you, I at least owe you that."_

_Arata sighed. "Give me a break, what right do I have to? You saw what I became too. I wanted power. I craved it! All because I wanted to make things right."_

_"You mentioned a friend you failed to save."_

_"That's right. And I lost myself in that thirst for power to make it right. I should have stuck with my true friends rather then turning to a power beyond me."_

_Ryuji glanced back towards the twins. "Those two back there? I ran into them once before. There's something extraordinary about them."_

_Arata smiled. "Yeah. They're both soft-hearted idiots, but they're honest. You can't help but feel attached."_

_Ryuji smirked. "Heh. Why does that sound familiar?"_

_"Yeah. That guy reminds me of those two whenever I look at him."_

_Ryuji looked up. "If those three were with us the first time we came here…would things be different?"_

_"I honestly doubt it. Even now you and I are making stupid mistakes. We're still the arrogant punks running wild."_

_"True." Ryuji let Justimon out of his Digivice. It Digivolved after he rediscovered himself thanks to Keisuke, Chitose and Fei. "I was helpless to save my sister. But thanks to my friends I have the power to make things right."_

_Arata looked at Diaboromon. "Yeah. Thanks to my pals I found the strength I need too. And I found it without straying from the proper path this time."_

_"Is that so..." Ryuji and Justimon faced Arata. "Then let's see you prove it."_

_"Huh?"_

_"Show me how much you've grown since you left us. I want to see for myself that you have what it takes to reclaim what you lost."_

_"Alright then." Arata and Diaboromon turned in their direction. "This is our final send off to Jude!"_

_"Right."_

_Both boys smiled as they prepared for battle. "Here I come Ryuji!"_

_"Bring it on Sanada!"_

_While they couldn't hear them talk from where they stood Takumi and Ami smiled as their Digimon began their battle. "I guess those two have a lot to talk about." Takumi said._

_"Seems that way." Ami nodded. "And now they want to test each others strength. Or maybe this is to help them become stronger."_

_"Either way, it looks like they finally buried the hatchet." A voice behind them added. "I'm happy for them."_

_"Me too." Takumi added. Then there was a moment of silence as they watched the battle. And then he and his sister registered that someone was behind them._

_"AAAAAAAAAAH!"_

_"GAAAAAAAAAH!" A boy about their age with a blue hoodie and black hair was right behind them. "Jeez, what was that about?!"_

_"Where did you come from!?" Takumi asked._

_The boy sighed. "I was just standing here the whole time. Sheesh."_

_Ami took a deep breath. "Are you a former Jude member too?"_

_"No. But my friend over there was wondering off on his own. I got worried that he might be causing trouble again and decided to follow him."_

_"Oh." Takumi said. "Wait…do I know you from somewhere?"_

_"Oh, well I wouldn't expect you to remember, but I saw you two passing by in Nakano. Also, my friend over there and I saw you beat Mephisto."_

_"Mephisto…? Oh yeah! That account hacker that was corrupted by his Digimon!"_

_"Now I remember!" Ami said before looking back at Ryuji. "You and that guy showed up as we were leaving. I thought he looked familiar. He was with you wasn't he? I thought maybe you were more of Mephisto's friends."_

_"No, we were chasing Mephisto for our own reasons." The boy replied. "But you took care of him for us. Thanks for that."_

_"Ah, it was nothing." Takumi smiled. "We were working on our own case."_

_"Actually, I think I saw you guys here in Under Zero when that fight between Zaxion and the Rebels broke out."_

_"You were there too? Sounds like you went through a lot."_

_"Yup. You two as well from the looks of it."_

_Ami nodded. "I'd love to share stories about everything that happened. I bet there's a whole side to this incident that you witnessed that we never saw. But right now…our friend needs us."_

_The boy nodded. "I have a friend that needs my help right now too."_

_Takumi thought for a moment. "Well how about this? Once we've done what we need to do, let's meet up and we can share stories. Promise?"_

_The boy smiled. "Deal."_

* * *

"That was our first time meeting Keisuke." Takumi said.

"Well you were right about him." Yuuko said. "Keisuke and Hudie had a lot to do with the events involving Digimon."

"I thought he might have forgotten that promise along with everything like the rest of the world. But now…"

"So now that you know he remembers, what will you do?" Arata asked. "Probably should wait until you get better before talking to him."

"True." Ami said. "But I've got an idea that'll make it worth the wait."

* * *

A week later, Keisuke returned to the condos alone. He got the day off. And the day before he got a message from Takumi.

**"We remember our promise. Come over to our place this weekend and we can talk."**

After arranging a time Keisuke anxiously waited for this chance. To get everything off his chest. He stopped in front of the door and knocked. Takumi opened it this time. He was in his casual black shirt and yellow pants. "Hey, Keisuke."

"Hi. You're looking much better."

"Yeah, thanks to you and Hudie Ami and I got some rest and finally got over that lousy cold. We've been able to return to work, but we have today off. Come on in."

Keisuke walked inside the apartment. As expected, Ami was also there wearing her yellow, shirt and leggings along with her normal skirt. But what he didn't expect was… "Huh? Arata? Nokia? What are you doing here?"

"What do you think?" Nokia grinned. "We want to talk about Digimon too! I said we'd bring back a lot of stories!"

Keisuke raised his eyebrows. "What…?"

Arata smiled. "Thanks for taking care of Ryuji and Chitose. I knew I could count on you."

"Arata?"

Yuuko and Yuugo came up to him with warm smiles. "Hey there." Yuuko greeted. "I brought omelets for everyone. We made a promise after all."

"It's good to see you again." Yuugo said. "And I'm glad you two were able to save your friend."

Keisuke looked at them with his jaw agape. "You guys...You all remember everything?!"

Takumi chuckled. "Surprised? We sure were when we found out you remember."

Keisuke started trembling with excitement. A smile slowly started to form on his face. "This is…I…I don't even have the words! All this time I thought I was the only one…"

"Well, you're not." Ami smiled. "Welcome to the club."

"Thank you…All this time I wanted to talk to someone-Anyone about all this!"

"Heh. Well let's not waste any more time." Takumi said, going to the cupboard. "Ami and I were working on a new coffee blend, but we also have plain old normal coffee if you prefer."

Arata hurried over to Keisuke and whispered. "Translation: Do you want to drink actual coffee like normal people? Or do you want to end it all and glug down a mixture of mass destruction?"

"Uh, what?"

"Just say normal if prefer your tongue in one piece!"

"N-normal for me please!"

"Suit yourself." Ami said getting a mug. "More curry and mustard coffee for us!"

Keisuke went bug eyed. "Say what?!"

"Just don't ask." Yuuko warned Keisuke.

Everyone gathered at the coffee table. "So…how do we start?" Keisuke asked.

"I guess we should first tell you how it all started." Takumi said. "Eight years ago."

"Eight years ago?"

"Yes. It all started with a EDEN demo event…"

Keisuke listened carefully to how it all started. And everything that came after. Once Mehphisto came up he got his chance to speak by explaining everything from how he ended up joining Hudie to that point in his view.

"So that's what became of that Digital Shift." Keisuke said.

Everyone took turns talking about both sides of the story.

"That explains where Yuuko got that idea of friendly talk from." Ami muttered.

It all just felt so natural.

"So while you were dealing with Jimiken, I met K face to face for the first time and..."

There was laughter.

"You disguised yourself as a Poyomon?!" Arata snickered. "Oh, that's rich!"

Anger.

"So that's what Rie Kishibe really is." Keisuke growled. "A Royal Knight masquerading as a human..."

And sadness at the tale.

"And that's how we remembered what we did in the Digital World." Takumi said looking down. "And how we lost Yuugo…"

But they loved hearing all of it. Reflecting on what they already knew and what they were just learning now.

"And after Takumi and I finally got our bodies back thanks to the Digimon, we eventually found Kyoko. Granted she didn't remember us, since that was Alphamon we worked with before." Ami said.

"And she hired us as her assistants." Takumi added. "We reunited with our friends here. All six of us together in the real world after eight years. We had so much fun just being together again like that."

Once both sides of the one story concluded everyone went silent.

"And after getting home, I've just been living my normal life in Hudie." Keisuke concluded.

"I never would have imagined…" Takumi said.

"Me neither." Ami nodded. "For so much to happen behind the scenes."

"To think this all started over one thing eight years ago." Keisuke. "And I can't believe what Suedou tried to pull! I wonder what Erika would think…"

"Keisuke…I'm so sorry. Because of us, Erika…"

"Hey, it's not your fault! Erika made that decision herself. And there's no telling how long she was going to last in this world anyway. I…I just miss her…"

Nokia looked down. "I know how you feel. I miss Agumon and Gabumon…But you know what?"

Keisuke looked up. "What?"

"We'll make it work out! We were worried we'd never see Takumi or Ami again, but they came back! And I know we'll meet our Digimon again!"

"We'll meet again…" Keisuke smiled faintly. "She told me the same thing…"

Takumi stood up. "We have to make sure that happens. As the only ones who remember what happened it's our responsibility to take what we know and use it to shape the future. It will be difficult but I know one day humans and Digimon can coexist with each other. With the seven of us working together, we'll find a way."

Everyone smiled and nodded. Keisuke for the first time started to believe that he will see Erika and his friends from the Digital World again. And now…his fate wasn't his alone to bare. "Yeah. Let's make it happen!"


End file.
